W Virginis star

Also known as a Type II Cepheid variable,
a Population IIpulsating
variable with a period of 1 to 35 days. Although W Vir stars show a
period-luminosity relation,
which is characteristic of Cepheids, the relation is different than that
of Type I Cepheids, or Delta Cephei
stars. W Vir stars are typically 1.5 magnitudes fainter than their Type
I cousins and have a mass of less than 1 solar mass, so that they are clearly
at a different evolutionary stage. They also have a distinctive light
curve with a variation of 0.3 to 1.2 magnitude and a bump on the decline
side. Two subgroups are recognized: long-period W Vir stars, exemplified
by W Virginis itself, with periods of greater than 8 days, and short-period
W Vir stars, exemplified by BL Herculis, with periods of less than 8 days.